The present invention relates to electrical power supplies and more particularly to a saturable reactor power transformation and regulation system.
Power supplies for electronic devices are divided into generally two types. In one type of conventional linear power supply, the input alternating current is transformed to the appropriate voltage, rectified, and filtered by an assortment of capacitors and inductors. A linear regulator is then provided in the output circuit to maintain a constant output voltage. Although this design is widely used, it requires the use of heavy transformers and capacitors and has a relatively low power transform efficiency.
In a second type of conventional power supply, the incoming alternating power signal is rectified and filtered and supplied to an inverter circuit. The inverter switches the filtered signal on and off at a high rate to generate a high frequency square wave. An output transformer then converts the square wave to the desired voltage level and the resulting signal is passed through a rectifying network and filters to produce a DC output. The output of the power supply is regulated by varying the pulse width of the signal generated by the inverter. Although this design uses lighter components and has a relatively high transform efficiency, it produces substantial noise in the output. This level of noise is often unacceptable in the operation of computers and other transistor switching circuits.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a power supply which is not only lightweight and efficient but also generates a low noise output with a closely regulated voltage level.